I'd Like a Sample Pt. 1
The Enduring Legacy of David McCallum Jr.
David McCallum Jr. was a Scottish-born actor who graced us with his presence as the mysterious Russian agent Illya Kuryakin in 105 episodes of The Man from U.N.C.L.E from 1964 to 1968. He starred alongside Steve “The King of Cool” McQueen, James Garner, Charles Bronson, and Richard Attenborough in The Great Escape in 1963. He was the voice of Batman’s Alfred Pennyworth, and he was Donald Mallard in something like 457 episodes of NCIS. He expired in 2023 with 131 acting credits to his name.
David’s dad was violinist David McCallum Sr., a world-class violinist who once relocated his family from Glasgow to London to literally lead the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His mother, Dorothy, was the cellist. Our boy was headed for a music career armed with his oboe until the acting bug got him. That said, he did record some things that left something of a defining impact.
David outpaced expectations as an actor, but music was integral to his being. Our boy released two albums in back-to-back years - ‘in 66 and ‘67 - smack in the middle of Swingin’ London and the most fertile musical soil in the post-war era. Those two albums, Music: A Part of Me and Music: A Bit More of Me form an advanced text for Hip-Hop sampling. Anyone who watched Dr. Dre’s Super Bowl LVI halftime show can testify.
Thanks to my childhood obsession with classic Star Trek (and to be fair, The Twilight Zone), I've always gravitated towards science fiction.
In 1979, having only moved to England about a year earlier, a new 30 minute series arrived.
The show starred a then unknown to me Joanna Lumley (Absolutely Fabulous) and that guy from The Great Escape.
The show was called Sapphire and Steel.
While certainly no masterpiece, it was to my fifteen year old eyes and ears, highly entertaining and sometimes a little creepy. I understand that as the decades have flown by, it's developed a cult following.
How the show would hold up for me today, I can't say. I CAN say that because of that charming series, I've always had a soft spot for both Lumley and David McCallum.